Cartridge shell loading device



Dec. 26, 1961 B. E. SMITH CARTRIDGE SHELL LOADING DEVICE 5 6 1 w 2 Z 8NS N 7 a 1m s a E i E W 8 E00 m w m m a w m a 3,614,400 (IARTRIDGE SHELLLOADENG DEVICE Billy E. Smith, 2419 Evergreen Drive, Port Arthur, Tex.Filed Sept. 22, 1959, Ser. No. 841,612 2 Claims. (Cl. 8633) Thisinvention relates to a device for loading shot into cartridge shells.

The chief aim of my invention is to provide a device for the abovepurpose which is simple in construction and easy of manipulation; which,at each action, will quickly release an exact amount of shot into acartridge shell and leave just enough space for crimping; and whichwithal, lends itself to ready fabrication in quantity at small cost.

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetailed description of the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in axial section of acartridge shell loading device conveniently embodying my invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in section generally similar to FIG. 1showing the manner in which the device is used.

FIG. 2a is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing an intermediate step in theuse of the device.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sections taken as indicated respectively by theangled arrows III-J11 and IV-IV in FIG. 1; and a FIG. 5 is a perspectiveview of a cartridge shell after having been charged with an exactquantity of shot in accordance with my invention. I

As herein exemplified, thev shell loading device of my inventioncomprises a tubular cylindrical magazine for the shot, said magazinebeing closed at the top by a cap 11 removably held in place by thebayonet lock means indicated at 12. At the bottom, the magazine 10 isprovided with a separately formed outlet nozzle prolongation 13 whichhas a tapered discharge throat 14 and which is diametrically reduced asat 15 to fit snugly into the open end of cartridge shell C and isshouldered as at 16 to limit the extent of its entry into cartridgeshell. Constrained to endwise movement in hollow bosses 17 at oppositesides of the prolongation 13 somewhat above the shoulder 16 areretractable slides 18 which, together,

constitute a gate means for controlling release of the shot from themagazine. These slides 18 have square heads 19 whereof the inner endsare. concavely sloped downwardly toward each other, and terminate inrelatively sharp transverse edges which are complementally concaved asat 20 and which, when the slides are in the normal position of FIG. 1,abut crosswise centrally of the bottom outlet of the magazine. Thediametrically reduced shanks 22 of the slides 18 pass outward throughguide apertures the outlet prolongation 13, the lower ends of saidlevers being connected by pivot pins 26 to the protruding ends of slideshanks 21. v

Operation In using the device, the outlet nozzle prolongation 15 of themagazine lll'isintroduced downwardly into the cartridgeshell C untilstopped by engagement of the shoulder 16 with the top edge of theshell.- After-the 3,014,46 Patented Dec. 26, 1961 magazine is so placed,the levers 23 are moved by simultaneously pressing their upper endsinwardly as in FIG. 2, the slides 18 being thereby retracted against theforce of the springs 22. As a consequence, shot is permitted togravitate from the magazine 10 through the outlet prolongation 15 intothe cartridge shell C, this action being facilitated by tapping themagazine. Upon releasing the grasp levers 23, the slides are movedinwardly by the springs 22 into the normal abutting relationship inwhich they are shown in FIG. 1 across the outlet 15 to block the latter.As the slides 18 are'retracted, the shot balls are free to roll down theconcaved slopes 20 at the inner ends of the heads 19 while, duringinward movement of the slides the sharp edges of the heads pass readilythrough the mass of shot balls without injury to the balls. As theoutlet prolongation of the magazine 10 is subsequently withdrawn fromthe cartridge shell, an annular void is created in the upper part of theshell into which void the balls left in the throat gradually recede asshown in FIG. 2a and eventually assume a level slightly below the topedge of the shell as shown in FIG. 5. It will thus be seen that at eachactuation of the device, an exact amount of shot is released into thecartridge shell with sufficient space remaining above the charge forsubsequent crimping of the body shell.

While the preferred embodiment of'this invention has been described insome detail, it will be obvious to one skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the invention ashereinafter claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cartridge shell loading device, an upright tubular magazine forshot balls, said magazine having a diametrically reduced nozzle outletprolongation at the bottom of a diameter corresponding to the insidediameter of cartridge shells to be loaded and adapted to be inserteddownwardly into the open end of an empty shell placed upon a horizontalsupporting surface, said pro-' longation being provided with a stopshoulder for engaging the top of the cartridge shell and limiting theextent of its insertion into the shell; a pair of axially-aligned hollowbosses extending laterally from opposite sides of the nozzleprolongation above said stop shoulder; gate means comprising a pair ofopposing slides constrained to endwise movement in said bosses andyieldingly urged inward respectively by separate compression springswithin the bosses with their'inner ends normally abutting in the axis ofsaid nozzle prolongation; a pair of actuating levers fulcrumed,intermediate their ends, respectively at opposite sides of the magazineand pivotally connected respectively at their bottom ends to the outerends of the slides wherbey, upon grasping the free upper ends ofthelevers and pressing them inwardly toward the magazine,

the slides are simultaneously retracted against the resistance ofthe-springs aforesaid to release shot balls from the magazine into thecartridge.

2. A cartridge shell loading device according to claim 1, wherein theinner end portions of the slides are transversely square and haveconcaved downwardly-sloped terminal faces with resultant provision ofrelatively sharp edges at the bottom which normally abut crosswise ofthe axis of the nozzle extension of the magazine.

References Cited in the file of this patent France Oct. 20, 1954

